AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would not be surprised if this has been done before (and perhaps better), but this is my own spin on it. In a previous essay I floated the idea that a reversed court card might exhibit the qualities of the preceding zodiacal sign more prominently than those of its primary astrological referent … Continue reading Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Courts
The Unevolved Fire Signs: A Study in Vanity
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I struggled to find a polite way to say "arrogance" without actually saying it, but that would be an extreme example of my point. Also, there is an idea here regarding the reversed court cards and their Golden Dawn assignment to the Chaldean zodiac that warrants further exploration in another essay. In astrology … Continue reading The Unevolved Fire Signs: A Study in Vanity
“Who’s Got the Ball?” – Court Cards As “Agency”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The ideas and practices described here are updated from those presented in at least one earlier post on the subject. It has always struck me that the court cards of a tarot deck have a fairly narrow range of usefulness in a reading (not to mention that they are often a source of … Continue reading “Who’s Got the Ball?” – Court Cards As “Agency”
The Virtue of Simplicity
As time goes on I find myself drawn more and more to working with only the 56 Minor Arcana cards in divination. Granted, the 22 Major Arcana are where most of the philosophical "meat" lies in the tarot, but very few of my readings rise to that level of metaphysical complexity and intensity. Most of … Continue reading The Virtue of Simplicity
“Will the Real Page of Wands Please Stand Up?”
The methods by which human personality, age and gender have been assigned to the court cards of the tarot have never resembled an exact science. The old ways of using physical traits as the basis for qualitative "thumbnails" are almost entirely unsatisfactory: Wands people are assumed to be fair-haired, light-skinned and blue-eyed, those at the … Continue reading “Will the Real Page of Wands Please Stand Up?”
Incremental Court Cards
As I continue my study and practice of playing-card divination, I'm gaining some insights into the nature and application of the court cards that can be readily integrated into my knowledge of the tarot courts. The main idea is one of the progressive or incremental unfolding of the hierarchical and numerical energy in human terms. … Continue reading Incremental Court Cards
Students, Cynics and the Tarot Court
One of my favorite aphorisms is "I'm a student of human nature, so of course I'm a cynic." I believe that every individual has a private script (and usually a personal agenda) of some kind running at any given moment (they're basically starring in their own movie, although I don't think that's exactly what Aleister … Continue reading Students, Cynics and the Tarot Court
The “Agree to Disagree” Decision-Making Spread
Here is a spread designed to examine situations where an individual must interact with another person or entity to undertake an initiative of some kind when one or both of them may not be fully on-board with the arrangement. I could see using it in any scenario involving controversial legislative action in the present US … Continue reading The “Agree to Disagree” Decision-Making Spread
The “Let Me Face It” Action/Initiative Decision-Making Spread
This spread is named in honor of a French-Canadian acquaintance who always said "Let me face it" instead of the rhetorical "Let's face it" when making a point. It uses the facing of the court cards to indicate which of four rows of face-down cards to select for the reading. The court cards are separated … Continue reading The “Let Me Face It” Action/Initiative Decision-Making Spread
“Stirring the Pot” – A Developmental Insight and Action Spread
Here is another split-deck decision-making spread. It formalizes the involvement of other people who may have a stake in the matter, whether to aid, obstruct or take advantage of the seeker. This is accomplished by separating the court cards from the deck and dealing them into specific positions reflecting the above possibilities. Human beings are … Continue reading “Stirring the Pot” – A Developmental Insight and Action Spread
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 